Sports BettingPremier League Gambling Ads Persist After Shirt Ban, Bristol Study Finds
Researchers found pitchside advertising dominated gambling exposure during the 2026 opening weekend.
A University of Bristol review released on 21 October found that gambling advertising remained prominent in Premier League coverage despite the new front-of-shirt sponsorship restriction.
Researchers counted 11,205 gambling messages across seven live matches during 21–24 August 2026. Pitchside advertising accounted for 72% of the live-match total.
The study estimated that removing front-of-shirt logos reduced live-match gambling messages by 10.5%. That figure describes the estimated effect of the restriction, not the overall year-on-year change.
Across the wider sample, including sports news, radio and social media, the researchers recorded 15,571 messages. The findings suggest that removing one advertising format does not necessarily eliminate exposure elsewhere.